Prison and Paradise
by the-eternal-sapphire
Summary: Caleb has been bought up in the horror and terror of The Sanctuary. Cornelia has been bought up in a life of perfect luxury as a princess of the beautiful city, Mersham.What will happen when Caleb and Cornelia's lives collide?
1. Chapter 1

**Hope that you like this story, its something a little different and not something i have ever seen before, so enjoy!**

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Caleb aimed his bow as he took a breath to steady his aim. He drew back the string and released, firing the arrow at deadly speed towards the wooded target. A direct hit.

He repeated this nine more times. Eight times he hit the target directly. One of the arrows went wide of the target. After Caleb fired his last arrow, the man who had been watching him with a firm look on his face approached him.

"Hold out your hand." He said, his voice emotionless.

Caleb knew what was about to happen, after all this is what had been happening to him for 11 years, since he was only 6 years old, but that didn't make it any easier. Caleb paused.

"Hold out you hand." Said the man, this time more aggressively.

Reluctantly Caleb raised his hand, which was covered in scars, showing no emotion on his face as always.

The man suddenly lashed out at Caleb's hand with a leather belt, studded with sharp pieces of metal on the end, it was designed to cause severe pain quickly, it served its job well. Caleb clenched his fist and winced at the pain, but still he didn't make a sound and continued to show no emotion. The man struck his hand only once, and withdrew immediately. Blood poured from Caleb's hand, and he looked up to meet the man's eyes. They were as cold as his own eyes. Master Bastien was his name, and Caleb loathed him, even more than he loathed life itself.

"If you cannot hit the target, how do you expect to fair in battle, when that target is a man set on killing you?" Asked Bastien. Caleb continued to stare into those dark eyes, not at all afraid of the threatening tone of voice Bastien was using. Caleb said nothing and waited for Bastien to continue.

"Tell me Caleb, why did you miss that target?" Bastien asked him.

"I missed the target, because the wind blew, causing the arrow to blow of course, Master Bastien." Replied Caleb, his voice was again, void of any emotion.

"Excuses are the refuge of the weak! You missed the target because you are big headed and you think you are better than you are, you think that it is an easy task for you to hit Ten targets without fail, so you loose your focus causing you to miss the target!" Bastien shouted, towering over Caleb.

"Your cockiness will be the end of you if it is not beaten out of you!"

Bastien raised his arm and delivered a heavy blow to the side of Caleb's head, he continued to strike him until Caleb fell to the ground, feeling queasy, Bastien ceased to hit him, until he got to his feet again, and then continued to strike him again. Years of enduring beatings like this taught Caleb to stand there and take it, or risk even more severe punishment. With every hit the hatred within Caleb boiled within him. Bastien stopped. Caleb's hand poured with blood and his head throbbed, he was sure that in a few minutes he would throw up.

"Leave." Said Bastien simply.

Without hesitation, Caleb turned on his heal and headed in the opposite direction, in a fast walk that was almost a run. He quickly made his way through the vast halls of The Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was home to thousands of boys(the exact number was unknown) from the early age of 6 to the age 18. Here they were trained to become killing machines, the most skilled and feared soldiers in all of the land. Life was tough and none of the boys had any recollection of what their lives used to be like before they came to The Sanctuary. The boys knew no other life other than the grim life at The Sanctuary. Caleb made his way up the Halls of The Sanctuary, and on his way he was lucky to come across a discarded cloth covered in dirt lying in the corner, he picked it up and wrapped it tightly around his pulsating hand to stop the immense bleeding. After this Caleb picked up his pace to reach the Great Hall where the rest of the boys would be eating. He reached the hall just in time, for being late resulted in a severe punishment even worse than the one just handed out to Caleb. He took his seat, next to a boy named Blake and opposite another boy named Sheldon, neither of them were what you would call Caleb's friends, for having friends was frowned upon by the Masters at The Sanctuary, and seeing one boy fraternize with another boy too much too often would result in severe punishment. These were the only two boys who Caleb could tolerate at The Sanctuary, and the only one's he would talk too, all the other boys saw Caleb as a tough character who didn't like to be disturbed. Caleb looked down at the food below him, it was a bowl of food that was a greyish brown colour, not something a normal person would see fit to feed to their dog, however this was the food that faced the boys everyday of their lives and it was either eat this, or starve. After the murmuring and clanging of spoons on bowls caused enough noise to stop anyone listening in the, boys began to talk.

"Tell him what we found Blake." Said Sheldon, attempting to mask his excitement.

"No, not here, there are too many people around to over here, we can't risk it, this is too big an opportunity." Said Blake. Caleb said nothing.

"Meet us after evening prayers." Instructed Blake, before he and Sheldon stood up to head for the prayer room, where the boys were instructed to go every evening after supper, to pray to God and forgive the boys of all there sins. After Caleb had consumed all the stodgy food that sat in front of him, he too made himself to the prayer room. Any boy who failed to attend evening prayers would be killed instantly by a Master once they were found. Once role call was taken by Master Rigg, The Master of religion and all the boys were kneeling on the cold stone floor in deadly silence before a statue of The Sanctuary's founder, they all recited in unison the words they said everyday of their lives:

_Father forgive us for our sins_

_For our greed_

_For our desires _

_Cleanse our souls and our minds_

_Help us lead a holy life _

_And if we are lead astray by the devil _

_Send us to hell, where the devil dwells _

_And punish us for an eternity and more. _

The boys were so used to reciting this, it had little to no meaning to any of them any more. Caleb especially didn't believe any of these words. He didn't believe in God, and even if there was a God Caleb was not afraid of being lead astray by the devil and condemning himself to an eternity of hell, because he was already in hell, The Sanctuary.

Like he had agreed Caleb met with Blake and Sheldon after evening prayer,

"What is it you had to tell me." Said Caleb, straight to the point as usual.

"We've found something that could aid us." Blake replied.

"Aid us with what?" Asked Caleb.

"Aid us with our escape." Whispered Sheldon.

"Impossible." Said Caleb simply. The Sanctuary was built for one purpose and one purpose only, keeping the boys in, and any invading armies out. Many boys had attempted an escape and none of them had made it past the outer walls, and all of the boys caught attempting an escape were hung, drawn and quartered to show what would happen to anyone else who thought of making a run for it.

"Trust me, you won't be saying its impossible when you see what we've found, follow us."

More than Twenty miles away from the horrors of The Sanctuary, there was a grand city, the grandest in the whole world. It was the city of Mersham. Mersham was home to the royal family, Harold and Elizabeth were the King and Queen of Mersham. The King and Queen were loved and valued by all the people of Mersham but there was one member of the royal family who was loved above all other and this was the King and Queen's daughter: Cornelia. At 17 years old she was almost grown into a fully grown woman, her beauty was staggering, her skin was so pale it glowed, her long silky hair shone in the sunlight and her eyes where the bluest if blue. Since her birth she had lived a life of luxury, a warm bed with a roaring fire in her room, grand feasts with even the rarest and most expensive foods. She had everything she could ever wish for. However, there was fear in her heart, in little over a month she would turn 18 and that meant she must find a man to wed and become her husband. Cornelia knew there was nothing she could do to get out of it as it was tradition that Royals were married in there 18th year of life. But Cornelia knew she was not ready to marry, nor was she in love with anyone. It seemed she was condemned to marry someone she did not love. That was something she did not think she could face.

A few rooms away from Cornelia, her father Harold held his head in his hands in shock and fear. On the table in front of him was a letter and on the letter read these words:

_Give up your daughter, or we come for her ourselves, and if it comes to that we will not spare anyone who gets in our way._

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**Please review i would love to know what you think of it :) **_  
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	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize for not updating sooner, but this story is going to take a lot of planning, i realize that i have thought up of A LOT of plot lines for this story and if i don't write it properly none of it will make any sense. So it may take me longer to update this story seeing as i have to plan out carefully what to include in each chapter. Also it was my birthday on the 22nd so i've been celebrating for a few days and haven't found a lot of time to write anything:L so yay i'm now 16 years old! Anyway i hope you enjoy this, any feedback would be VERY useful as this is going to be a complex story to write!**

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In the dark hall of The Sanctuary Caleb, Blake and Sheldon, crept along the corridors in a deadly silence. It was after hours, all the other boys were in bed, and to be caught sneaking around The Sanctuary at this time would result in execution. Only half of the thousands of boys ever made it out of The Sanctuary. Most of them were killed by The Masters, or driven insane with fear or killed in fights to the death organised by The Masters. There were even some boys who loathed life in The sanctuary so much that they preferred to take their own life just as a way of escaping the horror they endured on a daily basis.

"This had better be worth the risk." Whispered Caleb so softly it was almost inaudible.

"Trust me this is worth the risk." Said Sheldon equally as softly.

The boys made their way along the deserted corridor and stopped abruptly when they got to the door at the end of it. Caleb had never been to this part of The Sanctuary before. The Sanctuary was hundreds of years old and was a huge building made of dark grey stone, even after 11 years of being held in The Sanctuary there were still parts that the boys were unfamiliar with.

Blake slowly and careful opened the door as to not make any sound, once open it revealed a small room filled with swords, shields, bows, arrows, spears and any other weapon you could think of. Caleb immediately felt anger rise within him.

"Is this it?" He questioned.

Coming across deadly weapons was not a rare thing to the boys, they had to practise with them for 8 hours, 6 days a week.

"Your not looking properly." Said Sheldon.

Caleb took another glance around the room and still nothing caught his eye which might cause excitement. Sensing his confusion Blake stepped forward into the room and went over to the far left corner here he picked up the end of what seemed to be a huge thick rope. Caleb immediately grasped what they were so excited about.

"This one rope could be all we need to get out of this place." Said Blake simply.

"The Sanctuary walls are hundreds of feet high, is that thing long enough?" Caleb asked.

"It seems to be pretty long, and even if it is a little short it'll still be long enough to lower us down far enough so that the fall will only break our legs, and I'd rather have 2 broken legs out there than be stuck in here and be killed." Said Blake darkly.

"You won't get very far with 2 broken legs, getting over the walls will be the easy bit, it's finding somewhere to go after, which is the hard bit. After the Masters find out we're missing they'll send search parties after us to find us." Said Caleb.

"I say lets just do it now, we've never had a better opportunity." Said Sheldon.

"No. This kind of thing needs careful planning, we can't rush it." Said Caleb.

"We can come back here tomorrow night after we've thought up what to do." He said.

"Agreed?" He asked.

They boys looked at each other.

"Agreed." They said in unison.

The King of Mersham called for his most loyal friend, Dimitri, he was not only a skilled warrior but also the King's advisor. The king passed him the grim letter he had received.

"What do the Palarzzi want with my daughter?" He asked.

Palarzzi was a city about a hundred miles from Mersham, they had been enemies for years but it had been atleast two hundred years since the Two cities had engaged in a battle.

Dimitri pondered the letter for a moment.

"I suspect the Palarzzi are trying to intimidate you. Your daughter is admired and cherished by every being here is in Mersham, if she was to be kidnapped, it would lower moral and certainly start a war." He said.

"But why do the Palarzzi want to start a war?" Asked the King, beginning to become agitated.

"That I cannot answer."

"What do you suggest I do?"

"The chances of the Palarzzi rallying their army and attacking is very low, even they are aware our army is the best in the land, possibly the world. For now I would keep your daughter safe, double the guards just in case, you can never be too careful, and keep this only between ourselves, there is no point worrying anyone else over this matter."

Cornelia was sat in the grand hall, attending a lavish feast in her honour. This was nothing new to her, but she had realized that ever since she had started to approached her 18th birthday, more and more feasts were being held for her, and each time a different young man of 18 years old would attend. This time it was Connor Calford, he was what was known as in Mersham as an Elite. An Elite was a person trained from an early age to become a top soldier. The Elites were the very best Mersham had to offer, and in The King and Queen's opinion he was the perfect man to become the future prince of Mersham. Cornelia felt like her fate was already secured, it was not rare that a girl's parents would choose the man she would marry and Cornelia knew that If the King and Queen had it their way Connor Calford would be the man she would wed.

Meanwhile back at The Sanctuary, Caleb was in yet another training session with Master Bastien. It was a particularly gruelling day, it was bitterly cold day and the wind blew roughly. Caleb found himself once again shooting arrows at targets. He hated this task, and Master Bastien knew it, therefore he took great pleasure in watching Caleb struggle to hit the targets in the roaring wind. Caleb was a skilled warrior, but using a bow and arrow was probably his weakest point, but give him a sword and he could take on anyone who faced him. After many failed attempts to hit the target, Master Bastien stopped shouting at him and simply said:

"Report to the Master of Discipline."

These were the words dreaded by all boys at The Sanctuary. The Master of Discipline was the most feared Master of them all and was notorious for handing out horrific beatings. He was also responsible for the deaths of many hundreds of boys. But Caleb wasn't scared. Years of being at the hand of fierce beatings had taught him that being scared certainly didn't change anything. Nevertheless he made his way slowly to the Chamber where the Master of Discipline dwelled, it's walls and doors were deliberately thin so that anyone who passed could hear the screams and pleas from whoever was inside. When Caleb reached the Chamber the dark figure of the Master stood outside waiting for him. A dark hood covered his face, not one of the boys had ever seen his face and many boys believed that the devil himself was under the hood.

"Ahhh Caleb, Master Bastien tells me that you have been having a few off days at target practise." He purred. He had a very calm voice. Caleb said nothing.

"He also tells me how cocky you seem to be becoming." He said although this time it sounded a lot more threatening. Once again Caleb said nothing.

"Come into my Chamber, and close the door behind you." He commanded. Caleb did as he was asked.

It was cold, dark and damp in the room, there were many candles, giving off minimal light, and each wall was covered in metal instruments that Caleb shuddered to think what they were used for.

"Did you know, Caleb, that Cockiness is a sin, planted inside a young boy like yourself by the devil himself." He continued.

"There is only one way rid a boy of that awful sin." Said the Master.

Caleb knew the beating would come any second now. The Master picked up the Metal studded belt and touched it, almost caressing it, then in a flash he began to bring it down upon Caleb. The pain was immense and severe, blood poured from everywhere the metal tore at his skin, his arms, torso, face, legs, surely he would die of pain. But Caleb restrained himself from letting out a scream or any sound for that matter, and this only enraged the Master more. His lashes became quicker and more violent and the anger within Caleb began to rise. Eleven years of this kind of treatment, Eleven years of pain and horror. Eleven years if being taught how to kill. Caleb would now put this training to good use.

"Your weak! The Devil has corrupted you!" The Master screamed at him, attempting to taunt him. Taunts about the devil did not effect Caleb, but being told he was weak? That was enough to push him over the edge. In one swift movement Caleb dodged a blow that was about to strike him and pulled a sharp metal dagger which hung from the wall, in no time at all Caleb lurched forward and drove the dagger into the side of the Master's neck. He instantly dropped the belt as blood began to spurt out from his neck. He feel to his knee's and he bagan to turn white as a pool of dark blood began to form around him. His death was slow and painful, and Caleb watched with a blank expression on his face until the Master dropped down on the floor and took his final breath. With that Caleb turned around and ran from the room down to the courtyard where Blake and Sheldon were training.

"Come on guys, lets go get that rope." He said quickly.

"You said we would plan it first and go in a few days!" Blake protested.

"Yeah, welll, there's been a change of plan, we're getting out of this place. Tonight."

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**I really hope you liked this, it's rather fun writing such a dark story! PLEEEASE Review! just as a special birthday treat for me! Ahhh now i'm finished i'm going to go enjoy the beautiful sunshine, yes i live in England so having a hot day is a very rare thing!**


	3. Chapter 3

Once again Caleb, Blake and Sheldon found themselves walking swiftly and silently though the halls of the Sanctuary in the dead of night.

"This is madness! You said yourself we need to plan this, why have you all of a sudden changed your mind?" Whispered Blake angrily.

"Circumstances have changed." Replied Caleb, quickening his pace.

"What circumstances?" Asked Blake, his anger rising.

"You'll see soon enough."

Sheldon stayed quiet, while the anger within Blake only grew more and more. Caleb moved quickly, but his mind was even quicker as it worked out drastically what he was going to do. He led the boys back to the room where The Master of Discipline lay dead. Upon realizing where they were heading Sheldon spoke up.

"Why are you taking us towards The Master of Discipline's room? If he catches us, he'll break our necks!" He whispered urgently.

"He won't be a problem." Caleb said coldly.

Blake and Sheldon simply exchanged looks of complete confusion, until Caleb quickly opened the door of the Masters room. There they saw the Master of Discipline face down in a still growing pool of his own blood.

"What the fuck?"

"You killed him?" Sheldon asked.

Caleb nodded.

"Why the hell did you do it?" Blake demanded.

Caleb pondered this for a moment.

"He was beating me, and I snapped."

"You snapped. That's your excuse? Don't you think we'd all like to stick a knife in this guys neck while he beats us?"

"It was different this time."

Blake simply laughed.

"So what I don't get is why you've dragged us along to see this? Wanted to show off your handiwork did you?" Blake mocked.

"No. Once the Master's find him they'll know it was me, Master Bastien sent me to see him, so he'll now I was here at the time. We only have until morning before they find him. We have to leave. Now." Caleb said urgently.

"We? You're the one who killed the bastard, not us. You're the one who's condemned yourself to death because you couldn't control your anger. You're the one who's life is in danger, not ours." Blake retorted.

"Don't be stupid, the Masters have seen you talk to me too many times, I already took a beating from Bastien the other day because he thought we were friends. Once they realize I killed him and can't find me, they'll turn to you for information, then they'll slit your throats for good measure as an example to the other boys. By all means stay here if you want, but coming with me is the only chance you've got."

Blake fumed but said nothing, for he knew Caleb was right. It was Sheldon who broke the silence.

He looked down at the fallen Master and spat at him. Then uttered the word:

"Bastard."

Blake and Caleb did the same, Blake even added the a kick to the ribs.

"We don't have time to hang around, let's gather as much supplies as we can, and get out. I'll run to the weapons cupboard and get the rope." Said Sheldon, making his way out the door. In complete silence Blake and Caleb, stole as much equipment that they thought would come in useful. Knives, flint to create fire, food that had been left by the Master, and leather pouches that could be filled with water.

Once Sheldon had returned with the rope, and also a bow with a few arrows, they were set to leave.

They boys made there way to the balcony that led out from the Master's room and securely tied the rope to one if the pillars and threw the rest down. Taking one last look at the pale and frozen body of the Master he had killed, Caleb began the painful task of lowering himself down in complete darkness.

He had no idea now high up he was, and how far he would drop if he was to fall. Once he felt the bottom of the rope he stopped for a second to ponder, he had to let go, he would fall anyway. And with that he released his hands and started to fall. He fell all of six feet. It was certainly a shock but a very pleasant one indeed. Once Blake and Sheldon also reached the bottom, the boys didn't even have time to celebrate the fact that they had not been on the outside of The Sanctuary walls for Eleven years. All they could think about was putting as much distance between them and The Sanctuary as possible, for it would not be long before the search parties were deployed. So with that the boys began to run as fast as they could, in total darkness, with not a clue in mind as to where they were headed, and armed with the pleasure of knowing they had finally escaped from hell itself.

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Cornelia sat with her head in her hands, she was close to tears, but because of the presence of her maid, Petra, in her room, she managed to hold them back.

"But Cornelia, are you not excited to be engaged?" Petra sang out.

"To a man I have never met before?" Cornelia moaned.

"Ahh but it has been Mersham tradition for centuries that the parents of their daughter must choose her soul mate for her." Petra explained.

"It sounds like an awful tradition to me, I don't think I can marry a man who I don't love, or even know!" She cried.

"Oh come now Cornelia, you know Connor Calford, everyone in Mersham knows who he is!" Petra cried. "He is the best soldier that Mersham has seen in centuries, he has never once lost a fight, you should be thankful to your parents that they have chosen you such a fine fiance." Petra said.

"I know how skilled he is, but I don't love him." Cornelia explained.

"Ahh you can learn to love him once you are married and have produced and heir to the throne. Marriage is not only about love, there are certain…acts you must fulfill." Petra said.

Cornelia saw that clearly Petra felt the same way her parents did. To them Cornelia was some kind of machine or item that was used to create a baby to become the next ruler of Mersham. Cornelia herself would never be ruler of Mersham as it was not permitted for a woman to be a ruler of such a great city. This was also another pressure on Cornelia's shoulders, she must produce a male heir to the thrown and not a daughter like her parents had produced. It was seen as a great shame when the only heir to the throne was a girl, so Cornelia's father had been planning ever since Cornelia was a child to have her wed and produce a male heir as soon as possible so that once the King was dead the male heir would be old enough to take his place, of course for this to be possible, Cornelia needed to have the baby as soon as possible.

"I hear that the King and Queen are holding a ball in your honour to celebrate your engagement, it's very exciting don't you think? Petra continued.

Cornelia sighed.

"Yes, it is very exciting." She lied.

This would be the first time she would meet her future husband, other than the feast they both attended where it was agreed that the pair of then would wed, however neither of them had actually spoken to each other. Connor was of course overjoyed with the idea of becoming the future prince. After all, who wouldn't be? This was all Cornelia could think about though, how Connor didn't love her either, he was only marrying her for the fame and fortune that came with it. To her everyone else won, Connor got his fame, The King would have a respectful son in law, and maybe one day the people of Mersham would be blessed with a male heir. All this stood on the shoulders of an almost 18 year old girl.

"Thank you Petra, you may leave me now." Cornelia whispered.

Once Petra had left the room, Cornelia curled up into a small ball on her bed and wept quietly throughout the lonely night. Was being a princess really to be brought up in a life of luxury, no, Cornelia thought, it was like being brought up in a hell she would never be able to escape from.

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**Sorry about the short chapter, but i really enjoy writing this story and just wanted to post another one really quick to see what you think of it. The next couple of chapters will have plenty of action in them, so keep a look out for when i update, which should be soon, seeing as this one was so short. Anyway i hope you enjoyed this, yaay the boys finally escaped, and poor Cornelia, i feel like i am so mean to her sometimes, maybe one day i'll give her a break:L okay i'll stop talking now! one last thing... keep the reviews coming, i know how many of you are reading this and skipping out on the reviewing bit, don't be lazy it takes like 3 seconds! Plus it puts a big smile on my face, so anyone who reviews from now on will get a special thank you from me! (okay i think i've resorted to bribery!) anyway REVIEEEEW! Thanks :)  
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	4. Chapter 4

After a life time of waking up at 5 in the morning it was with great joy that the Three boys slept until almost the afternoon on their first day of freedom. After they had finally risen from the most peaceful nights sleep they had ever experienced they set about tucking into the food they had taken with them. It tasted like heaven itself. Each mouthful stimulated and excited their taste buds and the boys couldn't get enough of it. Never before had they tasted such rich food, cheese, meat and bread was the first food they consumed after 11 years of gruel that was fed to them at The Sanctuary. They crammed as much food as they could into their eager mouths and moaned loudly when none remained, for they didn't feel quite full enough yet. However, not long after they had finished eating each boy felt a most terrible feeling in their stomachs and not long after they were all vomiting up the food they had just consumed. It then became clear to them that such a long time of eating nothing but gruel at The Sanctuary meant that their bodies were not yet used to the new food that they had just eaten. After each boy had recovered the conversation turned to what they would do next.

"So, what now?" Asked Sheldon

"We head for Mersham." Instructed Caleb.

"And then what?" Asked Blake almost aggressively.

Caleb shrugged.

"Well, that really is a brilliant plan." Said Blake in the most sarcastic way he could. This angered Caleb greatly.

"What did you expect? That I would have all the answers? That I had everything planned out? That we would just bust out of that place and live the high life?" Caleb roared.

"We excepted you to know something! This was your idea, not ours! You were the one that stuck a knife in that bastards neck!" Blake screamed back in return.

"Keep your voices down!" Sheldon attempted to quieten the two boys.

In the distance a quiet rumbling sound could be heard, it grew and grew heading straight for where the boys had camped for the night, and fear struck them, the search parties from The Sanctuary had been deployed a lot sooner than they imagined.

"Shit." This was the only word Blake could muster before the boys quickly gathered all their things and ran faster than they had ever ran before, weaving in and out of the trees with a certain gracefulness. The punishing training at The Sanctuary meant that they were all fitter beyond what is normal for a group of 17 year old boys, so it was only after a considerable amount of time that each boy began to slow down their pace. Their lungs heaved, each breath was like a knife in the chest and their legs began to ache beneath them, but the taste of freedom was to glorious to give up now, so they continued as best they could to out run the thunderous noise that perused them. Caleb's legs pounded on strongly beneath him. He would rather die than have to return to that awful place.

Not far away from where the boys were running, a scout party from Mersham was riding along on their horses. The leader of this party was Dimitri, the kings advisor. Upon hearing the sound of the boys running he stopped. Not long after 3 boys running at full speed emerged from the trees. They stopped and fell upon seeing Dimitri and his men.

Caleb didn't know what to do. In front of him was a scout party from Mersham and behind him was the pursuing men from the sanctuary, there was no possible way out of this.

"Who are you?" Dimitri demanded in a low voice. The boys just looked at each other, each reluctant to be the one to speak.

" I asked you a question. Who are you?" Dimitri repeated this time a little more aggressively.

"We come from the sanctuary." Caleb replied.

A loud murmur flowed through all of the riders. Boys from The Sanctuary? Impossible. It was even well known to the residents of Mersham that those who entered The Sanctuary almost never left its walls. Once Dimitri had recovered from his initial shock, he waved a hand to quiet down the commotion made by then men behind him.

"From The Sanctuary you say? Come with us."

The bright lights emitted by the hundreds of candles illuminated Cornelia's skin so that it shone. Her cream dress skimmed the floor as she made her way across the grand hall, her hair swinging graciously behind her. No more than a few meters away from her stood Connor Calford, her future husband. This thought alone made her sick. She felt her heart rate quicken, and moisture gathered on her brow from both the intense heat and the fear that coursed through her. A sickly smile appeared on his thin lips as he saw her approach. She did her best to return a smile to him, but even he noticed the nervousness emitted by her. Around them all the richest people in Mersham gathered in fine clothes encrusted with precious stones and gems at the ball that had been held in Cornelia's honour.

"Nervous, my dear?" He asked when she reached him. The light from the candles did not highlight his beauty as it did Cornelia's, rather it only allowed her to clearly see his empty eyes, his crooked grin and his mousy brown hair.

"Slightly." She replied, she did not like the way his question appeared to mock her, like he took pleasure in seeing her uncomfortable. He gave a slight chuckle, which irritated her even more.

Cornelia wished nothing more than to return to her own chamber and lock herself away, but instead she must stay by Connor's side all night and make small talk with him, and even dance with him as the evening progressed. Cornelia cursed the person who had organised this ball in honour of her engagement.

"There is nothing to be nervous about my dear." He chuckled again.

"Then perhaps you do not share my view on this situation, are you not nervous that you don't know me at all, that you don't love me, that someone else is forcing us to marry at such a young age?!" She explained to him. Connor laughed more loudly this time and replied:

"My dear, what on earth should I be unhappy about, I will marry a beautiful young lady, I will become the heir to the throne, I will one day become king, I will have everything I could eve wish for." A rush of nausea pulsed through Cornelia, she thought that maybe if she got to know Connor she could like him, and one day love him, but she saw now this would never be possible. His concern for only himself disgusted her, not only did he not love her, he also did not care about her, how could her parents do this to her?

"You'll have to excuse me Connor, I'm feeling slightly unwell in this heat." With that she turned on her heel and quickly exited the grand hall, leaving Connor behind her.

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**Apologies for taking so long to update! I hope you enjoy this, more chapters soon! Please review if you want more!**


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